Lessa

At his reference to Lessa's new friend, she couldn't help but grin. "Yeah, I'd hate to let her down," she stated. "I'm entirely certain that woman could crush my skull with her thighs if I displeased her. Not saying it would be a bad way to go, but I'd rather not." Perhaps sensing that his prey's mind was elsewhere, the third and final hellhound gave a hellish growl, his maw twisted into a gruesome snarl. Had she not just seen his two companions go down so easily, Lessa might have found the visual for more frightening. When the creature hunkered down and prepared to strike, she did the sa

꧁༺Lessa༻꧂ Lessa, Guardian of Aincrad Level: 31 Paragon Level: 47 HP: 800/800 EN: 118/118 Stats: Damage: 28 Mitigation: 142 Accuracy: 4 Battle Healing: 44 H.M.: 8 HLY: 8 REC: 8 THRNS: 72 Equipped Gear: Weapon: Arcael's Might (T4 THSS - DMG DMG DMG HLY) Armor: Empress Armor (T4 HA - HM HM THNS THNS) Misc: Neutron Star Necklace (T4 TRINKET - ACC ACC REC REC)

꧁༺Lessa༻꧂ Lessa, Guardian of Aincrad Level: 31 Paragon Level: 47 HP: 800/800 EN: 118/118 Stats: Damage: 28 Mitigation: 142 Accuracy: 4 Battle Healing: 44 H.M.: 8 HLY: 8 REC: 8 THRNS: 72 Equipped Gear: Weapon: Arcael's Might (T4 THSS - DMG DMG DMG HLY) Armor: Empress Armor (T4 HA - HM HM THNS THNS) Misc: Neutron Star Necklace (T4 TRINKET - ACC ACC REC REC)

It appeared that the sense of foreboding settled on both Freyd and Lessa at the same time. Even as the dark-haired man cautioned Levi, Lessa drew away from Baldur and along-side the NPC. Her hand came to rest on Arcael's Might's ornate hilt, and for the moment, all thought of the punishing cold left her. Even as the biting wind tugged at her loose hair, and sent snowflakes spinning like throwing stars, she remained on high alert. "I've got him," she reassured Freyd, her voice a mere murmur. Her intention wasn't to baby Levi, but rather put Freyd's mind at ease, so he might be more willing to c

Lessa wasn't sure that she believed in fate. But when Alkor's pivot took a second too long, and he exposed his back to her, she knew what she was meant to do. A sick sense of humor, she mused, even as she slid up behind him. Her body brushed along his, a featherlight touch that ended with her sword pressed to his spine. The pressure lasted only a heartbeat, before it, and she, disappeared. Withdrawing to her side of the mat, Lessa lapsed into silence. In a perhaps poetic parallel, their second fight had ended in much the same way as the first - quiet contemplation rather than whoops of joy. On

A lifetime ago, before duels, before Aincrad, before Alkor, Alyssa had spent a Tuesday morning in her childhood development class. The topic had been student anxiety, and the discussion had centered on something called ironic process theory. In essence, a person is more likely to think about something if expressly told not to. For example, telling a class not to worry about an upcoming test might, instead, trigger the opposite effect. "It's always better to get things out in the open," Professor Schab had explained. "Just talk through them. Address them. Don't lock them away, or convince yours

The instant Alkor lashed out at her, the smile fell from Lessa's face. "Jesus," she breathed, concern carving trenches across her forehead. Gone was the cocky playfulness, and the taunts she had prepped to throw him off his game. Either her first slap had worked better than intended, or Alkor had never been on his game to begin with. The latter worried her immensely. For a man who had prided himself on perfection, he swung with all the precision of a drunk frat boy. She had thought she would feel jubilation landing the first hit, but none came. Instead, horror slammed into her as Alkor plowed

"No moral qualms to be hashed," she replied simply, lifting a gauntleted hand as if to flick away even the notion. Her expression, as cold as the ice in her eyes, didn't even register Oscar's little sunglasses trick. "I'm just here to get the kids. If you two didn't take them, then we can work together to get them back. Their safety is my number one priority, and ranks way above whatever bad blood exists between Oscar and my ex-boyfriend." She moved past them in a swirl of blue fabric, her cape skimming her heels as she strode toward the door. She had nearly made it to the teleportation p

꧁༺Lessa༻꧂ Lessa, Guardian of Aincrad Level: 31 Paragon Level: 47 HP: 800/800 EN: 118/118 Stats: Damage: 28 Mitigation: 142 Accuracy: 4 Battle Healing: 44 H.M.: 8 HLY: 8 REC: 8 THRNS: 72 Equipped Gear: Weapon: Arcael's Might (T4 THSS - DMG DMG DMG HLY) Armor: Empress Armor (T4 HA - HM HM THNS THNS) Misc: Neutron Star Necklace (T4 TRINKET - ACC ACC REC REC)

Lessa shook her head, blew out a hard breath, then rolled her shoulders. "Nope," she answered him. "I can do this. I'm ready. Focused. In the zone." With both hands, she mimicked the tunnel vision gesture she had made in his apartment. This time, however, it had a completely different meaning. Her gaze shifted away from her companion, and she gazed up at the volcano that loomed overhead. "Looking up," she murmured, the sound barely audible over the clash of steel and roar of a distant enemy. He had promised her that things would look up, if only she let them. Let them? Had she been sabota

"And, honestly, if no guy can give that to you.. then I don't think any guy deserves you." Excuses and explanations leapt to Lessa's lips, the need to defend him coming as a knee-jerk reaction. "Yeah, but I-" "If I may speak freely?" Her mouth snapped shut, and a bit numbly, she nodded her confirmation. Of course, it didn't seem Jomei needed the go-ahead. He plunged into a rousing speech, those expressive emerald eyes alive with passion as they caught and held hers. Even as he lit a fire within her, she felt herself shiver beneath the intensity in his gaze. Even as he filled he

꧁༺Lessa༻꧂ Lessa, The Violet Guardian Level: 31 Paragon Level: 47 HP: 800/800 EN: 118/118 Stats: Damage: 28 Mitigation: 142 Accuracy: 4 Battle Healing: 44 H.M.: 8 HLY: 8 REC: 8 THRNS: 72 Equipped Gear: Weapon: Arcael's Might (T4 THSS - DMG DMG DMG HLY) Armor: Empress Armor (T4 HA - HM HM THNS THNS) Misc: Neutron Star Necklace (T4 TRINKET - ACC ACC REC REC)

A small bolt of electricity shot through Lessa as Jomei spoke Bahr's name. She wondered when that sensation would go away. She worried that it never would. "It's fine," she answered him, though her tone suggested that was far from the truth. Even her body language betrayed the discomfort she felt as her shoulders hunched, and all trace of light left her eyes. The woman seemed to draw inward, collapsing in on herself. A long moment passed before she blew out a breath, then sucked in another. "Honestly, Jomei?" she began, in a voice that sounded a bit robotic even to her own ears, "I couldn

"Alkor, hey." Her voice seemed to boom in the relative quiet of the city. Though NPCs milled about, and the steady rumble of dozens of waterfalls filled the air, Lessa felt she'd called out in the middle of a movie theatre. A few women slanted her quick glances, confusion or even annoyance plastered across their faces. A sudden need to apologize slammed into her, but Lessa resisted as she walked toward her friend. Falling into step beside him, the pair crossed one of the many wooden bridges leading out of Krycim. Slowly, gazes boring into their backs lessened, until she felt nothing at al

The attacks came in a flurry, each pulled only a split second before they struck her. Fake outs, Lessa mused, impressed with the woman's ingenuity. Recognizing that speed alone couldn't save her, Yona already changed tactics. She's a quick study. And when the fourth strike plowed into Lessa's unprotected midsection, the blonde gave a small, approving nod. "Good hit," she said again, shifting her own stance before settling into the ready position. Yona was a dangerous one, a bit like a snake in the grass, unpredictable and explosive. Lessa knew her way around unpredictability. She could fi

A wicked grin sliced across Lessa's face, and a long-buried part of her began to stir. "Trash talk," she observed. "Feels a little out of place in a dojo like this, but I can still appreciate it." As the brunette lunged, Lessa shifted onto the balls of her feet. While it was true that the heavily-armored Lessa didn't spend much time flitting about, she knew enough to recognize her weakness. Surely, the other woman would attempt to use speed against the brick wall that was Lessa. But if Lessa knew it was coming, it would be far less effective. Sure enough, as Yona attempted to drill h

Even as the woman's sword slapped against Lessa's shoulder, a small smile crept across her lips. It had been a very long time since Lessa had considered herself "competitive." Before Aincrad, everything had been been a competition between Alyssa and her three brothers: cleaning rooms, eating meals, scores on tests. And, of course, video games had always been at the center of their sibling rivalry. But the years in the floating castle hadn't been kind to Lessa. Failed relationships, lost friends, and the seemingly endless monotony of it all had dulled that once sharp edge, and considerably less

꧁༺Lessa༻꧂ Lessa, The Violet Guardian Level: 31 Paragon Level: 47 HP: 800/800 EN: 118/118 Stats: Damage: 28 Mitigation: 142 Accuracy: 4 Battle Healing: 44 H.M.: 8 HLY: 8 REC: 8 THRNS: 72 Equipped Gear: Weapon: Arcael's Might (T4 THSS - DMG DMG DMG HLY) Armor: Empress Armor (T4 HA - HM HM THNS THNS) Misc: Neutron Star Necklace (T4 TRINKET - ACC ACC REC REC

I'm surprised Bahr didn't tell you about it. Despite the situation, Lessa's stomach rolled at the off-handed comment. "No," she replied flatly, before she might feel inclined to say more. Her relationship drama had absolutely no place in an abandoned orphanage. Hell, even if she and Oscar chatted over burgers at some inn, she wasn't sure she would tell him. Lessa wasn't sure what Oscar was to her anymore, but confiding in him did not appeal to her. She drew in a sharp breath. "He didn't tell me." Oscar's explanation left her with more questions than answers, but some of the pieces di

"Oh no, it would have been fine," she assured him, shaking her head. "Seriously. I'm always up to hang out with you. And yeah." She shrugged one shoulder. "The alternative was spending the holiday at home alone. Like you said, all of this was definitely the better choice. I wasn't really sure what to expect. I'm definitely not a party animal, though my brothers used to throw them all the time, and I'd normally sneak in for the wine coolers." She grinned mischievously. "I'm not sure anyone with three older brothers could be expected to avoid the temptation. But even in college, I didn't really

"Ahhh, yeah," Lessa drawled, flicking her wrist to summon her menu. She took a few seconds to locate the quest, and though her eyes continued to skim the description, her feet never stopped moving. "I don't actually see anything about picking up the quest, but that could just be because I've already done so. It does want us to gather some information though, just from the people in the area." Loosing a quick shrug, she added, "I'm not sure exactly what that entails. Just do a bunch of eavesdropping? Spy on some NPCs?" Appearing to think better of it, Lessa simply strode up to the nearest

꧁༺Lessa༻꧂ Lessa, The Violet Guardian Level: 31 Paragon Level: 39 HP: 820/820 EN: 114/114 Stats: Damage: 23 Mitigation: 122 Battle Healing: 41 H.M.: 8 HLY: 8 THRNS: 72 LD: 3 Equipped Gear: Weapon: Arcael's Might (T4 THSS - DMG DMG DMG HLY) Armor: Empress Armor (T4 HA - HM HM THNS THNS) Misc: Purple Hair Ribbon (T2 TRINKET - LD3) Skills: Straight Sword R5 He

Wrapped in silence, Lessa simply observed from the outer edge of the group. Though she did not known the Frontliners well, their answers largely fell along lines she would expect. Logical, by-the-book Raidou opted for the kill, as did the equally matter-of-fact Freyd. The latter went so-far as to remind the Fallen King that he was merely a work of fiction, and strangely, it bothered Lessa that he would do so. As if he somehow meant to kick the man while he was down. But he is just data, the tiniest voice reminded her, affirming Freyd's entire argument. Saying nothing in reply, Lessa drew in a

At Oji's mention of Oscar, a shadow drifted across Lessa's usually sunny expression. Dipping her head in an attempt to hide the gut reaction, she managed a simple, "Ah, I see." Interest replaced the unease as Hik began addressing a new customer. Lessa recognized how incredibly rude staring was, but she couldn't help watching the snowy-haired Player out of the corner of her eye. When the woman began gesticulating, those eyes popped wide. "Oh," the blonde breathed. "I think she's mute." Turning back to Oji, she flashed him an apologetic smile before holding up one finger. "Hang on one sec,